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In The Old Days We Travelled By Foot, no wonder we all got to grandma’s house on time, for family gatherings.

Family and friends now live with so many miles between they must travel by air and rail as well as packing up the family car. No wonder today in the United States has become a day of nightmares for all even if you are just making the dinner, you begin to worry about all of them travelling to you.

Today will be one of epic weather events up and down the east coast, in fact I am not even sure of any other disastrous weather across the US as we are just getting bombarded with news of doom and gloom and traffic nightmares. Is it too late to hope for it to stay out to sea :)

I am hoping you all have a wonderful day tomorrow either at work or with family and maybe you will watch football and nap after the huge meal or go shopping for all the deals each store is trying to out do the others with, for your hard earned buck just please stay safe out there, I do not have to tell you it is crazy out there.

We will clear most of what we get for snow tonight so we can get out of our yard by mid day and travel not so far to my brothers home for just a few hours of laughter and fun with family. I made fresh cranberry sauce with a zip. I stuffed the butternut squash and mushrooms no green bean casserole for this girl. I made a hot artichoke and spinach dip that is so very cheesy not sure I will have room for the BIRD!

Tomorrow I hope to be the start of a new family tradition of loving and forgiving one another for being human with our own heartache and pain and know that life is worth fighting for and that family is all we truly have. We all have faults and problems of our own and you know what it comes down to the miles in between. No longer sitting around each others tables and seeing what each other are going through on a day to day basis makes misunderstandings more probable.

Cal your family and tell them you love them very much. Swing by if they are close enough and give them a really good hug.
I swear if after 10 years I have been invited to be apart of my once loving family before Dad died anything is possible.

Keep the faith!

Should you find yourself alone stop at a shelter to help feed the people who have lost their way and families or go to a local hospital and spread some love and tell some stories and watch the difference one person can truly make, what ever you do please do not spend your day alone dwelling on what others have done to you. That would be better than any turkey dinner.

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I signed up for a free, 6 or 8 week class, presented by a local newspaper here in New Hampshire. It is about writing Memoirs.

My story.

It is about TRUTH ( though the publisher of Million Little Pieces could fill you in on more of that)

Our first homework is to write a piece on a harrowing experience lol how do I choose? We could also do it on a person we had a relationship of some kind with and how that changed us. Both tough for me as most of my long time followers know.

She went around and asked us to say why we were there and who we are. There was a 83 year old man who said he came as he would like to tell the story of his family in a fun and lively way I can only hope I make it to that age and have his spunk :)

There was another who had written lots of poetry and was interested in this writing form. The lady on my right new our teacher and she was not sure if she wanted some day to write a novel, autobiography or memoir but she was all in. I said I was there to learn the art of telling a sad story and capturing the reader and in the end finding joy in the read :) I am always looking for the Happy Ending. The woman to my left has many amazing stories to tell as she has also lived a life such as mine full of very colorful people. The next lady wrote on her laptop the whole time in class maybe she will write of her day in class as I am :) The last student that arrived a half hour late was close to the other man’s age and seemed to have the same intent leaving a story for those in his family who followed so the story of who they all were would not be lost. I want that too but that will be in a different form I think but this class will teach me a way to keep the reader engaged as they flip the pages of a book I hope to write you know the type old photos, family stories and recipes passed down through the ages. No war stories for me as sadly I fought a long war and it left me broken but here. So yes I had fun and I came home to quickly write three pieces that we will read aloud and discuss so we can learn what to do to make them better. Here on my blog it is easy I am talking to friends.

Now comes the good part she says to me “Eunice you have some extra homework I want you to read Liars Club” lol maybe she didn’t believe me :) Have you read it? Is it good? I must head to the library and see if they have it and hope I can get through it to the end by next Wed. night.

Have a great weekend

I am off to see my son tomorrow and sadly mom has bowed out from the drive down she is just not feeling well with all her medical issues I am sad but OK and he doesn’t know I am going so he will not be disappointed in no meeting her.

I will shoot video of his show and bore you all with too many photos I am sure :)

I will also be down the street from the 9-11 Memorial in NYC and maybe as I leave the city for home I can see the lights in the night sky. I continue to pray for Peace around the world and for countries to get along but after the speech last night I am even more scared of the future for our people and the babies coming into the world today.

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I have a dear friend who saw me starting out to paint with Watercolor and she gathered all kinds of things for me.
There were tubes of unused watercolor paints, a couple of brushes and some wonderful paper that I am still afraid to use as I seem to be saving it for REAL ART. Funny how a simple gift of her left overs and hand me downs has empowered me to paint daily, oh wait did I tell you about the books! She gave me beautiful books on Watercolor techniques that I read and try to copy from. I thought I would never want to look at another’s work, I am trying to do it on my own as I am too much of an individual, setting a course out on her own from what resides in my head, yes it is full after being away from any kind of art for 40+ years.

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Postaday asks if you had a Robot what would you have it do. I would have to say I would love one to weed my gardens. Oh my knees are hurting bad and to have a shiny machine going up and down each row, gently pulling just the weeds and allowing all my pretty flowers to take center stage now that I would call a perfect garden helper!

Writing Process Blog Tour has been making its way across WordPress and Christy Birmingham over at Poetic Parfait has asked me to join in by answering a few questions. I hope I do it correctly as I am rusty in this department.

The questions are:

What are you currently working on?
Besides caring for a home and pets most of you know I am prolific when it comes to photography. Many of my shots can be seen at http://www.folsommillstudio.com as well as on Zazzle products, Redbubble and now Crated. So I read blogs and re-blog ones I want my followers to get a chance of seeing and every now and then I pop in with an up date on life in my world. I have not written a poem in a long time for 20 Lines but I think there will be some in the works soon. I have taken up Watercolor painting and now with three lessons behind my I am ready to set about making art not craft. So I am busy all the time updating images for products.How does your work differ from others of its genre?
I am not sure that mine is any different from all of yours. I sit and share my world with not only words but a few photos too like most of you I follow. I think all story tellers of life are the same, though my life may be a little more open than others.Why do you write what you do?
When I started my blog over at Living and Lovin I really never knew the direction it would take but as I look back on the last 3+ years of posts I see it has taken as many turns as I did in my big rig.
I was so broken wanting more and little by little as I shared the stories and read yours I knew which path it was I had forgotten to take, the one where I would be Living and Lovin myself as I did everyone else.How does your writing process work?
Well I can tell you as I sit quietly either early morning or after my day is done I put my feet up at the desk with that cute girl of mine at my feet. He is in watching the TV and in fact he knows none of you and has never read my blog oh wait he did meet one of my blogger buddies from CA> when she was in Boston, MA He was worried about me meeting a stranger lol see he doesn’t know you are friends. It is not a secret but he lives with me and knows me and has since I was a young teen. For the longest time he never saw the photos he watched me take but when he did he insisted I DO SOMETHING probably the real reason I do not bring in the computer and sit it in his lap, for a good read. Words come easy when I am talking to you. I have such a great group of bloggers, you feel like friends who stop by to chat for hours over iced tea. I know some have write’s block to deal with but what I write about is my world, which means I am never at a loss for something to say. I am blessed and for that I am so very grateful

I will now add a couple of the writers on my Blog Roll please stop by and tell them I sent you for some Iced Tea:)

Your handmade fountain pen will need some regular maintenance to keep in tip top shape. Since fountain pens use an ink that needs to flow from the ink reservoir to the nib, it needs to be clean to function properly. Whether the ink is in a cartridge or supplied via an ink converter, the pen needs to remain clean.

Basics About Fountain Pens

Most problems with fountain pens stem from dried ink that get in the path of the ink flow. This can occur in the nib, the converter assembly, or barrel. The key to a well-performing fountain pen is to regularly clean these assemblies to keep them in good working order.

Use distilled water instead of tap water. Distilled water does not contain minerals and other ingredients that can build up and clog the pen over time. Hot water shouldn’t be used as a general rule, as it could…

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I have to thank you for doing the poll on Orchids for me. A couple came about ahead but not by a landslide I think it says you are all so kind lol or that you also adore Orchids. I am in good company. Again thanks for your help. Now if it got warm I could take their photo in natural light :)

For all of you facing mudslides, heavy snow and monsoons please stay safe. I will say a prayer as March begins that weather settles down this is going to be a scary thaw otherwise.

If these two look familiar, there’s good reason. Based on Hexa, they share a similar design, but with unique colors and fonts. Both themes work beautifully with Post Formats and are designed to focus on your content, tucking secondary material behind a row of buttons in the header.

Circa is a blogging theme with sweet, muted colors and a more feminine look. Perfect for a baby or parenting blog, or anyone who wants a softer style for their site.

Quadra is a personal blogging theme with a bold palette and a traditional font. It’s great for users who want a more serious look for their personal site.

As always, both themes are responsive, and thus will look great on all screens, big or small.

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We have had a few days where it got warm, well warm after what we have dealt with. Then we had ice and I mean horrible stuff! We would chop and chop when the sun warmed it and then while we rested each evening, it would freeze up all over again.

I know before long it will be just and ugly memory. Soon we will be seeing joy spread across our country and gardens bloom once again. It will fill us with hope and warmth, which is where I am at today.

Some of you who follow me on Facebook know the story, as do most who have read my stories from long ago. You know I got hurt bad but I survived. I have loved and lost only to love again. It really is just basic life isn’t it. Ups and downs, give and take.

Well the electric bill is so high and 100 gal. of propane cost over $440 and lasts but 3 weeks if we are lucky. We live on a fixed income, as we are both retired and the checks we get each month are divided up for all of our bills. Sometimes we can do something fun and other times we find fun close to home. We are better off than many but still poor when it comes to income brought in, so when they refused to bring me more propane on Friday or even to let me order another 100 gal.because we had a $160.00 balance and no income till 8 days later I had to ask the town for help and then I had to do what I tried not to do. I had to ask for fuel assistance.

Now if you know me you know that it angers me to have to request help. I am hit by someone doing something wrong and left unable to make the income I used to depend on and they go about their business, still driving a bus and making good money. I guess I go from angry to sad but on this day something changed. I mentioned to the woman taking our application for help that maybe when I hit 60 I could get the Social Security I worked so hard for, as I was the surviving spouse. She looked at me and asked if they said those exact words to me and I answered yes. She asked me to go home and call the government office as she believed it meant my ex-husband had died and I was entitled to it now. Well I did and they confirmed he had indeed passed away and I would now get his check if it was more than mine. So I made an appointment for after my birthday and in between surgeries to bring in my marriage certificate into them so they had proof we were married the required amount of years. Now remember I drove a rig over three million miles and worked hard and missed out on so many things others enjoyed, because I LOVED trucking. So once I go in with this certificate, I will find out if I can come off State aid and really that is all I am praying for. I want to be independent again.

While going through paperwork looking for a piece of paper I thought I had thrown away in 1995 I came across so many documents I would no longer need. So out came the paper shredder and I began to rid myself of all that really no longer mattered. With each piece that got fed through the blades, the weight of it all was not only freeing but sad. I guess after having a restraining order for over 15 years on him and holding on to all of our records just in case I would need them was 14 years too long. I made a dent in the massive boxes of trucking paperwork we had amassed in our 15 years of marriage. The first load was placed into the compost bin where it will sit and be covered by kitchen scraps and breakdown into something good. It will become beautiful rich soil, for new life to grow in. I could not think of a better way to deal with all of this.

So with all of this on my plate I will wander in and out of my blog adding a new one here or there as time allows for and a few interesting blogs from those I follow. I will do more of this purging and cleaning and letting go and spend my days feeling free from worry. I will smile more I am sure. I am sad he destroyed so much and in the end himself but I will pray for him to finally be able to rest in peace, as it is what I wish for each and every troubled soul.

I will continue to read your blogs in my readers, WP and Feedly and try to keep up, as I love you all and what you do is important. You keep it real, you show us pretty places and you write so eloquently. I love the poetry and the stories you tell and I will forever be thankful for the kindness you have shown me. I am not going anywhere just trying to get my act and home in order so I can have the procedures done and put my feet up in the sun with all of you and enjoy what life has in store.

Daily Prompt: Mirror, Mirror

Look in the mirror. Does the person you see match the person you feel like on the inside? How much stock do you put in appearances?

Photographers, artists, poets: show us MIRRORED.

Great question put forth by the Daily Prompt. I would have to say most days as I get ready, in front of the mirror and I see myself in the harsh light of day, I am exactly who I appear to be but once I step out of that bathroom and begin my day I am so much younger and still full of dreams yet to come. I stay out of that room as much as I can so I guess I would say in the end I place no stock into who I see in the mirror of mine.:)

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I was enrolled in a program to become a secretary though the other choices for me were culinary arts, technical illustrating and electronics. I had made my choice and began to learn how to type and take shorthand, both of which I loved.

Mom and Dad had gone out and bought me a beautiful, electric typewriter, for my Sweet Sixteen birthday gift. We did not have money for expensive things like that and I felt so loved to see they had got me something I could use while doing my homework.

Now the day got even better as we had a cake my Mom made and since she was a baker and fantastic cake decorator it was not only gorgeous but delicious too! When all the hugs and kisses were done with Dad handed me a small box. I could see by the look on my Mom’s face this would also be a surprise for her as well. I kissed Daddy and said thank you as I began to open this “extra” present. It was a gorgeous watch, white gold in fact with diamonds inside or something like that. Not sure how Mom felt but Dad was so happy to see how much I loved the watch. He said I was growing up and would need one to be home for curfew. I loved my Dad! My sixteenth birthday was AWESOME!

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On the second weekend in New England, the January Thaw really kicked in. Be still my heart. I could not believe how cold it has been, really since Thanksgiving into the New Year. We have been spoiled it seems. Many recent winters we have had a little cold them warmth then cold again, see I really like that, I think. This winter we had a vortex and it brought me back to my youth and really big snowstorms and cold weather. We still have January to get through then February and March will follow. bringing with it who knows what. We did not get the worst of the horrid stretch of weather, the poor folks in our countries mid section got hammered, so I can not complain just our backs and coastline took a beating so far, oh wait the heating bills have been crazy made even worse by a fixed income. It is why I am trying to sell some photography here and there just for extra cash to make life easier. My sweetheart will be making some things for me using his welding expertise for the upcoming craft fairs and yard sales and when we have some finished I will show you.

So what do we here in New England do when we get our January Thaw? We get outside! We spend time out in the warmth of a winter’s day, with sunshine on our faces. We so not ski but he used and we do not skate but we could, as the yard has so much ice all over where we cleared of snow. See we have had over 1 1/2 feet of snow then 4 inches or more of rain then freezing and thawing going on and finally he resorted to getting us some cheap cleats for the bottom of our boots. Mine are still in the package his are worn in.

I take JT through the snow as I can not afford another injury like a broken arm or hip or for her to get hurt as vets and doctors charge too much. Wait can I get Obama care for her? So steady as we go is our plan. Chopping ice each mid day only for it to re-freeze over night. You have to be tough to live above the Mason Dixon Line, where the north and south meet. Yes the south suffers terribly too, with drought and heat and wicked storms that blow homes away and ruin lives. What an amazing place this Earth of ours is, really we are all at its mercy aren’t we. We either roll with the punches or give up. So far what ever has been thrown in my direction I have been able to recover from, some sadly never will and I find that so unfair. Ok enough depressing weather stuff, want to see our world yesterday?
After chopping with the one arm I have left of any use, I grabbed the camera and that cute JT and went off into the woods behind our barn to see what was going on, hoping to run into a deer or two.

We found his tracks right away, just steps away from the rear of the barn.

Some pretty interesting trees like this pretty Paper Birch peeling out in the winter landscape.

This tree just a little older and stronger with the start of some curling bark. I adore trees but you already know that :)

This one has some company along its trunk

You can see JT was all about this decaying tree who knows what had stopped here before us.

Well beaten down deer trails could be found along with bear, coyote and fox prints as well all leading to the stream and away from it. Everyone needs fresh water.

It was pretty bright and sunny and we were really enjoying the walk in the woods today I will hit the beach as it will be almost 50 degrees!

Big and small deer living here on my property make me know I am doing something right.

JT is loving all the smells nature has left behind in the woods and I am so thankful she never goes off on her own, she is definitely a Momma’s Girl.

More tracks of forest dwellers.

Scat left by one such animal. A deer has been here.

It really was such a pretty walk in the woods with my girl even the trees looked joyful and no longer weighed down with snow and ice.

It was time to head back out to reality. Time for some more chopping before supper was put on to cook.

This is out in front of the barn, no wonder he is hunting for chains to fit his 1954 Dodge with dual wheels a lot of good all that beautiful welding of my plow being added to his truck did ,if it can’t move. We SHOVEL and CHOP!

Yes it is rather treacherous to say the least! I must be grateful there is ICE and NOT MORE SNOW well not yet. :) Give it a minute we are in New England!
Have a great week and I hope everyone who was suffering in the awful cold is also getting a respite if even for a day or so and for those dealing with summer heat and drought I wish you cooling rains. Gentle not flooding as we will soon know that world all too well.

how the infinite canopy arches in graceful bows,
.
laden branches kneel in gratitude to the peaceful sleep of snow.
.
i follow the trailing in frail voices of family i’ve lost,
.
of those i long to remember
.
swirling in the sliver of pause between
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this world and another.
.
.

there is no hesitation in
.
passing through the Gate of Melancholia,
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i wrap my solitude close in December’s silent shroud.
. disowning my voice in…

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I wanted to wish you all a Merry Christmas and for those who do not celebrate the birth of our Christ a very Happy Holiday Season to you as well.

I remember the days of our family home on Christmas morning. We, the three of us children, were so very lucky to have what was waiting under our tree, be it real or the metal one with that colorful wheel. We never knew of the struggle or the monies spent for months to follow, to pay for it all. Life is simple through the eyes of a child or that is how it seemed when I was a kid. I was blessed with a Mom and Dad. A roof over our heads and a wonderful feast laid out on the kitchen table.

For many years Thanksgiving was spent up here in New Hampshire with my Mother’s side of the family where all would come together as one and give thanks for what we had. Back then I never gave thought of what others went through to pull it off. They worked hard each and every day and lived within their means. We had mini Christmas that weekend as well because usually Dad would take us to his parents house for Christmas school break.

Dad worked all day and then worked on the car he would load up with presents which we never knew were ours, see what I mean about simple times. We were children who spent the days outside playing after school never giving a thought as too what the parents had going on. No wonder they were stressed, I see that now. The car was packed with gifts for grandparents and us then in went all the clothes we would all need for a road trip to Nana and Grandpa’s. You see I have since learned by trucking it was 660 miles each way. With three rambunctious children and our dog Teddy. We made this journey from Massachusetts to Pennsylvania most Christmas holidays. Maybe that is where I found the love for the road. Staying awake with Daddy driving in the middle of what I now know was blizzards, helping him keep track of the white line on the edge of the road. He had his whole family with him in our old car with a piece of plywood on the folded down seat for us all to sleep. Daddy never did and I am sure Mom tried to always stay awake so Daddy could as she was his company, on this journey. So today with the saved tree from the dump with no gifts under it, I remain thankful for all I have ever had for it is more than many others never did.

With Daddy gone and grandparents too as well as all but two Aunts and 2 Uncles my family now three brothers and my Mom, we no longer have those times together. That is what I miss the most as this holiday nears FAMILY.

Today I am thankful and grateful for all of you I follow and to those who follow me, for we are a family of sorts. Sharing joy and happiness. Wonderful things to bake and make. We are there as well when sadness hurts so bad. Thanks everyone for yet another year spent with you.

Daily Prompt: Memories of Holidays Past
What is your very favorite holiday? Recount the specific memory or memories that have made that holiday special to you.

Christmas Memories

Christmas used to be so special when I was a little girl growing up with my two brothers. We had the best tree Dad could find but one year we truly had a very cool tree. I never knew my parents were cool, I mean really COOL. Yes it was the sixties and that Christmas we saw them set up a funky metal tree. It came with a color wheel. Do you know what I mean? This was something that ran on electricity and had different colored film on it and it would turn our tree Blue then Red I can’t remember all the colors on the wheel but I can tell you our tree was very different compared to the other homes. I am sure my parents were not hippies but I think without us maybe they could have been. Now as I am old I wonder where all those items that fill my memory banks went. They never had a yard sale but the dump was less than three miles away. This year as a tribute to my beautiful family trees, from long ago that sadly made its way to the landfill, we got our tree this summer from our dump! She is gorgeous! White and pre-lit. I strung a few pearl roping’s and two strands of fake icicles, a few Red and Gold glass balls and 3 ornaments I made when I was 11. Sequins and beads pushed into Styrofoam shapes. I helped make a beautiful tree skirt back then too. I helped Mom for hours on a few of them she gave as gifts. I have one that rests under my tree this year. Yes the one from the dump. You see I am making a new memory with pieces from the past. I sure wish we had found a metal tree and color wheel though but the hunt is on!

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In today’s publishing climate, many authors are turning away from traditional publishing houses because they wish to have more control over their own work.

We do all the work. You retain control.

But it takes time just to research the other options, and they are many and varied, and can be confusing. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the decisions that need to be made, especially for those with little experience working with publishers and printers.

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We have had a few beautiful days here in New England but changes are coming. So as I watched the Boston Red Sox play their way into another World’s Series I made lists of things that needed to be done around here. I worked at planting my two huge Mums from the garden club sale, they are the hardy type so with any luck they will rest in the winter and be in bloom for next fall. Lawn mower was placed in the barn and snow blower brought up to the shed. You know regular stuff all homeowner must do unless they have a handyman yes my man is handy but you know the kind I am taking about.

So as I checked off each item I had on my list, I came to my Monstrous Spider Plant. There was no way I could bring it in for another year like it was. It is in full bloom, mid October in New Hampshire, oh how she loves the outdoors. Well I am sure it will go into shock and I also hope they all make it. There is nothing like having a living plant in each and every room.

So JT and I headed over to our local Wal-Mart so I could by some potting soil. I picked up six bags, yes it would take at least that to begin the task at hand. We headed home and I played with her for 15 minutes and then I began.

I usually make up my own mix but this will have to do, with shoulder pain there will be no stirring dirt for me .

This is worse than I thought, as this is a huge flower-pot.

See what I mean.

I really do not know how it could be so gorgeous with so many flowers and babies, this is crazy look at those roots!

They must love being root bound like this.

Much different tools used in this mayhem.

DRASTIC MEASURES

OH yes it was bad.

Lots of the Mother plants babies came of the plant
and would need to go into water or straight into new soil.

Making headway!

The last of them are potted up. I extra-large pot, two large ones and three medium ones.

So my yard and home plants have been cared for, tools put away that I use spring, summer and fall.

I said a little prayer for them to all make it through till spring, when they will be placed outside to soak in the sunshine and drink in the rains.

Let this be a reminder to knock your plants from their pots loosen up the old soil if you can get away with new soil added and you will not have Botany Mayhem occur at your place.

I just finished reading Monadnock, More than a Mountain by Craig Brandon. In it he tells of how, throughout history different artists have painted the mountain from different sides, and how a few had traveled around the mountain painting it from all sides. That sounded like a fine idea to me and, since I have never seen it done before, over the last few weeks I’ve traveled to several towns that surround the mountain to take photos from each one.

The unusual thing about 3,165 ft high Mount Monadnock is that it can be seen from each town in the area, which collectively make up what is known as the Monadnock Region. The purpose of this post is to show how much the mountain changes from town to town-sometimes after driving just a few miles down the road. I’ve lived here nearly my entire life and even I was surprised by how…

The organizers of the National Punctuation Day said the day is a celebration of the lowly comma, correctly used quotation marks and other proper uses of periods, semi-colons and even the ever mysterious ellipsis.

With the rise of texting and e-mail, it sometimes seems like punctuation has been forgotten. Does the younger generation even know how to properly write a sentence?

FOX 4’s Katie Ferrell appeared on Tuesday’s FOX 4 Morning Show with some of the biggest punctuation fails. Check out the video.

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Tell us about a talent you’d love to have… but don’t. Photographers, artists, poets: show us TALENT.

The Talent I wish I possessed would be to pick up a guitar and play it, as I wrote the words for a lovely song . Short and sweet it is what I would desire to do, even if no one ever heard the music or read the words, to just piece it together would be the best!

if interested send us an email at dogmageo@gmail.com with an email address to send invite to please. we do not care where you are from or what language you speak/post, all are welcome. one exception ~ No fascists

until then to try and keep up with all world events i will be doing more than usual of reblogging of other good posts.

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I spent years really living on the edge but a very slippery edge, indeed.

I was a trucker who worked and worked, never getting enough rest. I was young and fearless.

After a divorce and a bad wreck( no not of my doing, lol )thankfully, life for me was so very different.

I lost my balance. I fell. I fell into deep sadness. Yes I mucked about pretending all was well but clearly everyone could see how I had changed. I lost ME.

Well things are back on an even keel.

I have a blessed life.

I see that now.

I blog with people all over the world who have had such deep sadness in their lives. I also have some followers so full of joy, it is contagious.

You see I had stopped caring. I stopped LIVING.

When I found WordPress I was in search of who I was.

I had to pick a name for my new blog and it came easy, Living and Lovin, as that is really all I searched for.

I am here to tell you that I found it and then some.

I eat right now and actually exercise in the amounts I need. Balance it is a good thing.

I wake daily and with coffee see what blogging buddies are up too.

I eat breakfast and do the housework. For years I really had stopped caring.

I now work in my garden.

Play with the dog.

Have conversations with the love of my life.

I thought I had it all till sadly it was gone. My edge may have been different from yours but clearly living on the edge is hard for anyone eventually. It will catch up to you.

It has been a long winding road but finally no longer do I stand on a slippery slope of sadness and despair. No longer a part of the rat race of life. I have taken back who I really am. I wake each day thankful for all I have. I do stop to smell the ROSES, well all the flowers. How could I have gotten so far out of whack? Are others as well and still not knowing it?

For me it is about BALANCE.

Doing what needs to be done and making time for play.

I play usually with a camera in tow so now they can all see the change. Pretty dramatic even when I look back.

My wish for all of you is to find your balance. With work, love, life and play. When you are out of whack that is truly living on the edge.

Since I have been blogging about bears, I decided to relate a couple of scary bear stories.

Bears like me, or at least they haven’t eaten me. They’ve had numerous opportunities over the years. It goes with the territory of backpacking throughout North America for over four decades. My scariest encounters, as it turns out, were also my first. I had created a fundraiser for the American Lung Association in Sacramento called the Sierra Trek. Participants would obtain sponsors and then backpack for a hundred miles over nine days.

By the fifth year of the event, I had worked my way southward from Lake Tahoe into Yosemite National Park. Since we were utilizing a new route from Yosemite to Kennedy Meadows, I had to preview it. My friends Ken Lake and Tom Lovering joined me on the first three days from the Yosemite Valley floor to Tuolumne Meadows. Day one…

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You know I love my wildlife and you know I feed my birds and I have spoken about this Bear before and since I moved my computer out into the quiet kitchen area of the house and am no longer set up overlooking the lower yard and river. I miss a lot.

This morning I slept in till 6 AM as I went to bed real late. I put the coffee pot on and filled up my containers with fresh sunflower Seed to take out to fill the feeders so they could have breakfast while I read your blogs. I have been leaving the feeders empty to not entice this big black bear and any others with it from destroying the set up my darling made for me to feed them all. We recycled and used an old umbrella fabric removed and holes drilled in ends to hang feeders and suet from oh and a BELL since he destroyed it a couple of weeks ago so I can tell when he is out they’re messing with it so I can get PHOTOS after all it is what I DO right.

Well it was raining and JT grabbed her Frisbee and me the seed and off we went out to less than 100 feet from the back door maybe 60. I toss her the toy off she goes to catch then go potty and right back she comes to me for another throw. All the feeders full and us wet after 20 more throws we head back in. My coffee smelt great poured a cup and brought up the new reader to find all of you.

I am enjoying the coffee and reading and laughing and crying as some were real touching when the dog starts going NUTS!

Barking and carrying on. He was still asleep but he yelled BEAR. I go to grab my camera and both are plugged in and charging. I grabbed the Easy Share and I get into the living room where there was only a screen between us and the bag of seed and him and the feeders full of seed. He broke one arm but when JT scared him and our human voices he started to beat feet out of here. Thankfully. Then he stopped and start to turn to look our way and I screamed “Get out of Here” all the while JT going nuts and the poor cat who was outside took off and was not seen for 6 hours.

So here is the only shot I got.

Not sure if you can make him out but this is when he stopped and turned and looked at me and the dog seeming to not be worried about us much. I may end up not feeding the birds there goes my Dragonflies :(

I swear I was just saying life was so CHILL lol then heart beating what would I do if he came through the screen wanting the whole bag of seed :(

I shall load the shotgun and have it ready with the camera and fire over its head with hopes of making him change his address.

If you want oneness in society, you have to teach people to go inside instead of going outside, because if they want peace, they need to find it within. I remember being at a peace rally. Everybody was yelling, (He shouts loudly, angrily.) “PEACE PEACE!” That isn’t peace! (Laughter.) Peace is inside, in me and in everybody else. If you want peace, you go down in. – Ram Dass

Earlier this month I visited the Hampshire College campus in Massachusetts. I was there to spend a few days with my daughter Bea…

…who was studying at the amazing Yiddish Book Center at the college.

Hampshire has a lovely campus in the middle of rural farm country. And it was 97 degrees.

I’m from The Emerald City and I know green when I see it. Believe me, that countryside was green.

It was midday, and the campus was deserted, except for mad dogs and Englishmen. Oh, yeah, and Bea and me. We were walking to the dorm to sit in front of the AC and have lunch (did I mention it was 97 degrees?). Then out of nowhere came a couple of dairy cows, fresh off the farm, looking like two giant Oreo cookies on the hoof. Completely out of context, they looked larger than life.

Some seem important to share, others I see no need for them anymore but others may.

I am surrounded by incredible writers/bloggers on my follower list, here on WordPress but if I could have anyone and I mean anyone to write what I want said, I would choose a local man. You all know his work. He is just the most amazing writer of horror here in the Northeast, yes I am picking Stephen King to write my story. Yes it had lots of dark points but I think he needs a happy ending too.

are you aware of
the breath you draw, is the exhale
breathed of me – as you daydream drying plates
looking onto fields of green, I’m amongst those
who soil their pyjamas and weep, take that rubbish away- I do not like your jelly

I wonder if you notice
your visits are rare – in my head I see you smile
hear your voice, why have I so many bruises
the colour of petrol on my skin that’s paper thin- I tell them they have to move me more

so will you come and visit
sit and read to me whispering – ‘you’ll be home soon’
back where I belong, where I can dry your plates I’ll…

I must say when I go down the list of who I follow through my blog at Living and Lovin I see so many who are just like me. Like minded. Nature lovers. Pet owners. Gardeners of flowers and food.

I once wondered if anyone of my friends would bother to read what I had to say and share by way of a photo here and there and quickly got a true lesson in life, not many if any, take the time to read what I have to say but among the thousands here at WordPress I have a circle of friends who have stuck with me, as I began this journey and are still there just over a year latter.

Blogs come and go but I seem to have enough photos or strange stories to keep a few coming back. They are all eclectic and lived a full life, the same as I did and seem to appreciate all life has to offer.

Poems, story-telling and news breaking stories worthy of my re-blogs I love them all, for with each post they write they share just that little bit of themselves.

I may get lost in all I have going on at times but the real connections are there and for that I am so grateful..

Inspiration comes in many forms but when it happens to me I either grab a camera or my Blue Tray upon which I do my Beading.

I head into the spare bedroom, though there is no bed and open up the many drawers and containers I have full of beads. As I poke around I zero in on the colors I have available. I used to just have colors of the Sea. I have been beading for two years now and have some of each color it seems.

So with tray in one hand I begin to add beads, needles, thread and findings to complete a project. Who knows if I will sit and work it to the end or put it aside half-finished for a later day.

Even when gathering the supplies to make something pretty and new, I slip into THE ZONE. You have to or the creative juices can stop flowing, even before you begin.

Now with all I think I will need, piled high upon my blue tray, I sit at the table over looking the yard and river with my dog and cat close by. I add the string to my needle, usually Fireline so the piece will last for years and then I use the needle to pick up one tiny seed bead at a time. I like using 15’s and 11’s the best. They are very tiny. I have to focus or prick myself.

As I sit and pick up each one and add them into my design it starts to come together nicely and as I do the world seems to stop. Yes I enter THE ZONE rather quickly when I place that Blue Beading Tray in front of me.

I went through the savings which were sadly, as in most case, s never enough.

I saw an Ad in a local paper for a Special Needs School Bus Driver, surely I could drive a small van.

I applied for the position and they could clearly see my wounds but it was the ones inside that hurt the worst.
Due to my physical injuries I was given the troubled youths to transport to schools where they did not want to attend.

Many never even bothered to get up and shower and dress for the day, never mind step into the van. Very sad.

One by one as they entered my school bus I introduced myself, the one with the huge blue knee brace on.

I asked them to buckle up and not to swear (being a trucker at this point didn’t matter) I turned on music of their liking

just not gangster rap!

I knew they all had stories about how they ended up on a bus such as this. I did too.

I showed them respect and demanded the same right back. Friends were worried about me alone with them.

So many scary stories you read about children such as this. Remember they were the worst of the worst.

No one else at the bus company would drive them willingly. So they gave them to the New Girl!

I had a run in the morning where they were still half asleep then again in the afternoon after no nicotine.

Yes some were angry. Many had nice parents that just could not take it anymore and turned them over to the state.

Some lived with Grandparents God Bless them.

As the days turned into weeks and the weeks turned into years, two of them, I healed. So did they. We stopped listening

to music unless it was them singing to my great-niece in an infant seat while one played the guitar. They had

me to smile and make them feel welcomed each morning and I was their ride away from that school each day.

I had a solid group of eight who had been tossed aside.

Told they would never amount to anything. Have you been mad enough to say that to your child?

They were so talented in so many ways, I was so proud they stuck it out and rode both ways with me. I will always

remember these young people who not only graduated but in the end helped me to heal all the hurt inside.